Cat

Candiace is dressed the best out of all of them in her yellow satin dressing gown! Say what you will, that color is gorgeous against her skin. The thing about the Potomac women is that they routinely look like they got into their kid's dressing-up box. Here, Monique looks like she is auditioning for a sci-fi movie. Gizelle is going full Princess Jasmine of Aladdin. I'm tired of her long blonde Barbie hair too. I know it's her signature look but I wish she would change it up a bit like Karen with her wigs.

Absolutely. She signed that extended pre-nup (effective 5 more years, i believe) on-screen as a sign of good faith. She thought that if she did that, he'd agree on-screen to having a child as a sign of his good faith (and therefore she'd get a payout/comfortable child support in the event of a divorce). However, Ashley gambled wrong and he now has her in a corner. As she told her enraged mom earlier this season, if she left Michael now, she wouldn't be able to support her mother and half-sister at all, let alone herself.

Literally hyperventilating! Here for the Hugers vs. Darbys. Does Michael look like he is crying? And does it seem like both Ray and Michael have filed for divorce from their wives? Here for Ashley getting called out. Gizelle and Robyn aren't getting dragged enough IMO after they got Ash to do their dirty work. Also here for Candy-ass feeling herself vs Ashley. I think I want her back next year! Monique killed Giz with: "I don't need to bring another woman to ruffle your feathers; I can just breathe and do that!"

New York Probably the episode of the season. Sure, there was toxic feeling, and clearly it was a shitty trip for everybody --- literally. But all I felt was affection for every single HW this episode. Fundamentally, everybody loves each other, everybody is kind of obsessed with each other!, and that was showcased on the island especially. -Bethenny encouraging Dorinda to talk to Luann, -Luann hugging Dorinda wordlessly, -Sonja flashing everything to everybody, -Luann playing the (naughty but not malicious) dead-crab joke on Ramona in the hammock, -everybody being Luann and Sonja's audience during their impromptu cabaret rehearsal, -Sonja sitting on a crying Ramona's lap in the boat, -Bethenny holding Carole's hair back as she threw up in a bowl, all these moments were kind of tender and heartfelt in their way? The relationships these women share are evident. Even when they are on the outs with one another, they care. The only bum note was the shot at the end of the lady scrubbing a bed down after the night's collective diarrhoea attack. It was disrespectful of a person who likely works very hard for a minuscule wage by US standards. @alwaysAMC That's probably the reason I am most bummed not to see Luann at reunion -- I love her friendship with Dorinda, and that whole incident needs to be talked out.

On another note, I am rewatching Real Housewives of Auckland and OMG, it is 10 episodes of perfection. I can't believe they won't do a Season 2! Angela Stone! Anne the champagne cat lady! Pot-stirring Louise! These southern hemisphere RH shows are so watchable (the EP of RHoMelbourne, Kylie Washington, also did Auckland). Sydney needs some tinkering but hopefully it can do better when it returns in 2019.

Truly childish. It's always about her. Only she can quit RHONY! I know she has a fanbase, but is she that universally beloved that she can call the shots like this? BTW, in contradiction to Bethenny's statement, Andy was asked if Carole quit or was fired on his radio show, and he said that she quit.

Jill Zarin Bethenny really really really wants Carole to know that she 'won.' ^^ So when are we going to get a 'focus group' telling Bravo to fire Bethenny? Honestly, Team Carole at this point (haven't seen yesterday's episode yet, so I reserve the right to change my mind). Carole may be cold, snobby, superficial. She may be obsessed with staying young (and that's why she latched onto Tinsley and Adam). But I can't fault her for knowing her own mind. She got tired of tending to Bethenny and having the energy sucked out of her. I truly believe she left because she was over the B and over the show. Vicki is polarising for sure, and as you see here, there are viewers who are for her as much as there are those out there against her. Some feel she knew about the cancer scam and should be punished about it. My view is that she was in deep denial and half-crazed with grief (her mother's death). She had given up so much of her credibility to be with Brooks that she couldn't afford to let go of him when yet another scandal came up. She was so dickmatized that she didn't want to admit to herself that Brooks was lying. The show basically forced her to cut ties with Brooks once and for all, because her professional reputation and livelihood were on the line. And that is why some people accept that Vicki should stay on the show. Because she IS deeply flawed, and those are relatable flaws in a way. She is entertaining in showing us exactly what makes her tick, and not a lot of HWs are willing to show that side of themselves. Could well be that RHOC took a hit because Vicki remained on the show. I also think that the constant harping on Brooks and Cancer for 3 seasons afterwards eroded the audience base. People just got exhausted hearing about it. I got exhausted every time Meghan showed up onscreen! Vicki was on WWHL this week and the show made a point of having Vicki mega-fans call in. Vicki emphasised that she has a lot of fans and is close with them. It made me go Hmmmm because on one hand it seemed the show was bending over backwards to show us how big Vicki is with some fans. On the other hand, I have actually seen a Vicki 4-EVA lifer who has been her fan since S1 lol (the devotion was a bit scary tbh lol), so I know they are out there.

Thanks for all the info! That's great to know that NYC is pulling in some decent ratings! It's my favourite franchise. I'm willing to wait for OC to build its audience. The ratings here make me wonder whether Potomac would get a few more viewers if it was on at 9pm (ET) on a Sunday instead of 8pm. Sunday 8pm seems like such a Sunday-family-time/Murder She Wrote timeslot, lol.

Yeah, the OC episode felt like the old days. Even the two irrelevants on stroller duty felt like Early OC! It will be interesting to see if they gel with The Big Three as the season goes on. The Big Three are a force unto themselves and could quite easily carry a mini-season on their shoulders alone. Kelly is becoming less relevant and interesting. I never really warmed to her except on the Bus Ride from Hell, but I know she has her fans here and elsewhere. She is definitely trying -- and failing -- to marshal Shannon and Tamra against Vicki, they were all like "Oh wow, how awful" -- and then they blithely made their way to Mexico with Vicki to whoop it up. Who is in the right here? Well, maybe Vicki should not be double-dating with Michael and his new GFs. When a divorce happens, the friendship group usually splits, and it seems like Vicki is more Team Michael when she should be Team Kelly. Everything in Vicki's words and demeanour suggests that she likes hanging out with Michael more. Plus she sympathizes with his rejection by Kelly. Kelly has every right to feel betrayed/hurt BUTTTTT -- she wanted to get rid of him. She went on camera saying she hated his guts. She filed for divorce, so she shouldn't be mad if he is dating again. As S3 Luann once said, "when men move on, they move FAST." That's really too bad, although the past few weeks' episodes have had slightly less momentum. I'd be interested to know NYC's numbers as a comparison. As Cheap said, Potomac has been one of the best franchises this year, so it's a shame not as many viewers recognise. @Soaplovers @j swift I wondered if location is a problem for Potomac. I didn't really know where Potomac was before the show. Contrast that with BH, OC, NYC, ATL, etc., all shows with a central sense of place. Potomac could be set in suburbia anywhere, and in fact most of the ladies don't actually live in Potomac the town -- Karen is in Great Falls God knows where, Gizelle's in Bethesda, Robyn in Hanover, Ashley looks like Arlington, VA. I have no clue where Monique or Candiace live. They should have just called it Real Housewives of DC 2.0 or Real Housewives of Maryland. The lack of sense of place is a problem because, as said here, the location needs to become a character in of itself. I think Dallas this season may be Texing it up a bit more. The thing I like about Potomac, though, is this uber-thin line between having money (or pretending to have money) and not having a dime. Ever since 2008, this has been a major anxiety of the squeezed middle-class, which found itself mired in massive debt. People had Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget. This anxiety powers Potomac's women more than any franchise (with the exception of OC Lynne who was the first to show the financial lies underpinning her family's life). The Potomac men once had money and now they are going broke or are leaving them. Suddenly these women are looking into the abyss of pennilessness, of having their mortgaged homes seized, of trying to scratch out some income for themselves (without actually getting a real job lol). Gizelle, Robyn, Ashley and Karen are all experiencing this predicament to different degrees. It's why Gizelle latched onto Sherman as an answer to her (financial) prayers. It's why Ashley latches onto Michael, even though their marriage is dead.

Oh Lizzie... http://www.realitytea.com/2018/07/30/lizzie-rovsek-owes-over-108k-in-back-taxes/ And here is Dorinda on Jenny McCarthy's radio show:

http://www.realitytea.com/2018/07/30/jim-bellino-suing-tamra-judge-shannon-beador-million-dollars/ He must be REALLY Hard up for cash!

IA it was filler. I didn't find the pizza delivery disguises funny. We get it, the house is staged for filming. The point was just to humiliate Karen. I really want Karen and Ray to expose the three losers instead of letting them get away with their maliciousness. Ashley is changing her story about her deadbeat mom dumping her on the grandparents and prioritising her no-good boyfriend. Now she is all 'My mother raised me on her own, she's a saint.' She's been playing her mom against Michael this whole time and now the show is exposing her duplicity. She wants to guilt Michael into having a baby and I bet when he watches these episodes, he's going to be less likely than ever to 'rush her to the bedroom' (barf). Candiace's mother is more interesting than Candy-ass. Fact. I keep forgetting Monique is on the show! On another site, the Potomac viewers seem to think Monique is the sniper from the side, playing women against the other. I'm not sure I see that exactly, but is that what people think here? I find it hard to put my finger on Monique and get a read on her.

OMG amen to this! That Denise Richard news really indicates to me that Bravo are just tinkering. Denise Richards is not going to revive this franchise on her tiny shoulders. And one HW down still leaves five HWs remaining! Five HWs who have strategized and manipulated the show into a dead-end. Like, how many more times can we watch Erika get glammed up and call the other women c**ts? Dorit, ditto? Rinna, ditto? Is LVP going to adopt more puppies in order to strong-arm the audience into liking her? Is Kyle going to play the victim in order to guilt the audience into liking her? I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I may just have to sit S9 out!

Dorit is the worst. She is toxic and awful and coked up and would literally sell her mother down the river for a moment of 'relevance' on BH. I'd be willing to give Rinna and Erika another chance at a season if Dorit was kicked off the show -- that's how lowly I think of her. However, what BH really needs is to fire absolutely everybody. They are all toxic and they all despise each other. It can never be what it once was. Basically, BH's horribleness has even surpassed NJ's season of the twins and those Marchese people. lol I know those are fighting words.

IA the power trip has been largely unchecked, and this was the first season at least one person was standing up to her. Ramona tried last year and almost lost her spot. As I said, I didn't like Carole in recent years, her laxy ass was happy to use Heather and Bethenny as her attack dogs when she didnt like somebody! However, this season is different. She has no f*cks to give. This season has been an emancipation of sorts. The tone of her press announcement suggests that it might be her decision to leave, and to not look back. But if Bethenny is the new Jill Zarin, then S11 is going to be like S4. The ego will be left unchecked, and she will make Dorinda and Ramona PAY for backing Carole up. The difference between S4 then and now is that production had no love for Jill and were ready to cut her loose. Bethenny basically has power over production at this point, and that is bad news for the audience, the other women and the show. I'd be interested to see what transpired at reunion....

Choosing between Team Bethenny or Team Carole is like making a choice on Game of Thrones: neither choice is great, and you'll probably end up as roadkill whichever team you go for. On one hand, I feel for Bethenny being rejected by her BFF. Carole kind of is America's Houseguest, slinking through wealthy and connected people's lives. When things are great, Carole will hang with them, but when they go through a rough patch, she doesn't want to know. OTOH, when Carole told Sonja that friendship with Bethenny is "a lot about Bethenny, and not much about Carole," she hit the nail on the head. Bethenny is exhausting. She is an emotional vampire who sucks the air out of a room and has to make everything about her. I haven't liked Carole since she became all about Mouth-Breather. However, if as @Chris B says, she has been chased off the show by Bethenny (another one bites the dust!), that's too bad. Because she was the only one standing up to Bethenny and getting the best of her. When she goes, who will be left to keep Bethenny from devouring the show? Drunk Dorinda? Ramona? We know that if Jill comes back, she will buddy up with Bethenny again because she is desperate for Bethenny's love and forgiveness. In some ways, Bethenny has become the new Jill Zarin. Speaking of Dorinda, my girl has aged so much in one year. The drinking is a serious, serious problem, and it is driving away her friends. She needs to seek help Finally, I love Sonja! She is funny, upbeat, humble, kind and sagely understanding of the whole group. She really showed her best side this episode. ITA about BH and ATL. IMO both need a total reboot and revamp. They really have lost the magic. I have fallen out of love with all the women on BH, to the point where I'd rather watch RHONJ *with* Siggy Flicker than one more episode of S8 RHOBH. On ATL, I still feel a lot of affection for Nene and Cynthia. But even they are not bringing much to the table in recent times. Sigh.

Wow! I am legit shocked. And almost sorry about it. She was the only HW capable of going toe to toe with Bethenny and matching her for smarts.

"The Bible says you have to forgive those who trespass against you, even though Tamra trespassed against me first. I was scammed too! I'm sorry Tamra's actions forced me to say that about you. Can you forgive me?"

Seems plausible. She is on the other side of the country and doesn't want crazies going after Ryan and her kids on social media. Plus she has gone back to a job in nursing. She always loved being a nurse and I'm glad she is not dependent on the show or her mom anymore. It clearly made her resentful and trapped. The Carolinas is a nice place to live, too. Also, Ryan is on Marines disability, and I have to wonder if that isn't for PTSD. Compared with Potomac and NY, there isn't much going on yet. Still 10 times better than last year. Lawn Guylind Gina wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. What can I say about Vicki? She can never admit that she is in the wrong. Even with Tamra/Eddie she was pulling out the false equivalencies, as in "I said this, but Tamra said that." At least she choked out a Bible quote ("Duderonomy") that was meant to pass as an apology. Vicki is such a Trump Republican sometimes. Having said that, this episode would be nothing without her. Screaming at Kelly for being put out about the double-date? Girl, you may want to rethink that strategy. Even though I don't think Kelly should be crying about this. She wanted to divorce the guy. I'm just saying that if Tamra or Gretchen had set up Donn with a new girlfriend the year after his divorce, Vicki would have made it a WHOLE BIG DEAL for an entire season. Steve Lodge certainly is thirsty for his close-up! I am 100% bored watching him. Let's hope next week at Andalay's provides some fun.

She'll be coming for Ashley and Gizelle big-time at Reunion -- unless they can convince her to turn on Karen. Either way, I think Candiace desperately wants to be on the show. However, both she and Charrisse should be nervous: Kyndall is thirsty for a spot, and possibly Erica Liles if Bravo can get her to film next season. I can't deal with yet more wedding-planning scenes in the coming episodes tbh.

I appreciated that Candy-ass stood up for herself with Ashley. But whining about not being centre of attention taken seriously was annoying. ALL of these women incl. Candy-ass need to stop giving Ash/Gizelle/Robyn so much damn importance in the group. I mean, Gizelle ordered Monique to give her an explanation about Kyndall and threatened to go ninja on her! How about "I owe you no explanation, pack your bags asap and F off back to Bethesda" ? Gizelle is the absolute worst, and no tearful phone call from her daughter is going to make me change my mind. I don't know whether to give Ashley an A for pot-stirring or a big fat F for personality. She's laid it all out there re: her marriage, but given its parlous state, she really shouldn't be going after Karen every waking second. It's like kicking a puppy at this point. We all know Karen is fronting like crazy and the marriage is in trouble. Ashley may think this is an easy way to score points, but imo it makes her look worse doing G, R and Cha-Cha's dirty work. Speaking of Charrisse -- her friendship with Monique must be dead and buried after this episode.

Hmmm difficult question. Sometimes it is a case of simple chemistry. This cast does not gel nor do they like each other. They are trying to sell us on friendships that do not exist. The show has been a popularity contest from the beginning. When Andy told Camille that she was the most hated HW in RH history, Camille was completely devastated -- and the camera cut to Kyle, gloating and triumphant. When the audience turned on Kyle for her S2 takedown of LVP, Kyle did not like the backlash and made it her mission to make the audience feel sorry for her. The cast is obsessed with being the likable fan fave at all costs. They are essentially strategizing themselves off the show! They take potshots from the safety of their VTs. But when it comes to bringing their real beef out into the open, they are fearfully afraid of the audience turning on them. So they make up some petty B.S. to disguise their true motives. Sometimes you need a Tamra to air out all the dirty laundry! As a result, in true Hollywood form, they all seem to be acting out some hastily contrived script. The authenticity is gone. None of it feels remotely real. I don't believe what they say. And production appears unable to get them to put their real lives or feelings on the table, because most of these women are rich and have power/connections behind the scenes. So much of the truly interesting stuff on BH goes on behind the scenes! That is a problem. The show used to be about the haves and have-nots of Beverly Hills. I really liked that dynamic between the richies and the social climbers. Taylor and her ratchet friend Dana/Pam should never have been fired imo. I also liked that under the sunshine and gloss, there were these dark Hollywwod secrets waiting to come out. Kim's drinking, you stole my goddamn house!, Big Kathy's scarring influence over her 'girls,' Russell's controlling abuse and his thieving of his clients, Adrienne's surrogacy lie... Toxic though they may have been, these were real and they put the show on the map. The dark secrets were like another character. In recent times, a decision has been made to not really delve into those secrets and to focus exclusively on the glitz and wealth. The show has become very surface as a result. I don't care if I ever see Erika's glam squad do her makeup again! Also, so much of these shows of wealth are smoke and mirrors. Erika is about to be dumped by her wealthy husband any day now. LVP is mortgaged to the hilt and needs to sell off Villa Blanca and SUR asap and focus on Pump and Tom-Tom. Dorit and PK are living hand-to-mouth in a rented McMansion with the creditors knocking on every door. Once again, I do not believe anything these women are trying to sell me about their 'aspirational lifestyles.' The show is completely hollow.

It's not so much the Denise Richards addition (though she is an insalubrious one); it's the existing cast remaining as it is. That cast is a disaster! Bravo really missed a trick by not trying to have Kathy Hilton join. IMO the show needs a complete reboot. Without Little Big Kathy, Kyle has no reason to be there. LVP needs to stick to VPR. Rinna, Erika, and Dorit all need to be fired post haste, and Teddi needs to go live her best life off screen. The show will never be the same again. Nobody is even remotely likable or watchable. Brandi basically strangled BH, and Rinna finished it off by sticking a knife in it. It's done.

Those 'grimy' accommodations are apparently owned by the Santo Domingo family, a Colombian family which is one of the wealthiest in the world (Tinsley is good friends with NY socialite and sometime 'Vogue contributor' Lauren Santo Domingo). The Cartagena house is full of local history and charm, located in the heart of the old town. It reminds me of some beautiful old houses I saw in Seville. Even tone-deaf Ramona can see the place is pretty unique. But because Bethenny is not in charge of hosting and bragging about the vacation, she of course has to sh*t on somebody else's effort as often as possible. Bethenny's tastes also run towards the highly generic. Look at how coldly and blandly her apartments are decorated. Anything with any unique touches or quirks is deemed a no-no and must be bent into submission. Pinot got stuck in an elevator and still went out to party IN A WHEELCHAIR!

Luann's exasperation at seeing Ramona milk the wheelchair situation. OF COURSE Bethenny was the one to call Ramona a drama queen. She should know! Like you, I feel for Bethenny. It must be heartbreaking when a BFF falls out of love with you. The spell is over, she sees you for everything you are -- and she doesn't like what she sees. Carole's indifference is harder for Bethenny to bear than her anger -- and B is doing everything wrong in her attempt to get Carole to notice and feel sorry for her. The other reason Bethenny is having a breakdown: she is no longer in control of these women or the trip like she was last year. She has to hustle to be centre of attention. Although Production did help her out by giving her 95% of the VTs during this episode. An unpleasant reminder of last season's All Bethenny All The Time Show. Bethenny is self-aware, but that self-awareness is used to excuse bad behavior, a la The Berzerkshires when she went Slut Pig on Luann and later was all "I blacked out. I have fibroids." Right now she is signposting to the group all her issues so she can go postal on Carole next week and then blame it on losing her BFF/moving/court date with Hoppy. Best moment: Luann's Chaquita wig. And that extended flashback of Crazy Rey!